The name of this collection immediately got my attention, although upon delving into it I was a bit disappointed. "Dramatic, daring Lashes have been a chic and urbane part of the modern
Artist’s persona since Edie and friends made it all happen Downtown, on
block-print canvas or grainy 16-millimetre film. Multi-media,
counter-culture, the ultimate cool. In The Studio is the epitome of the
look updated, featuring new Studio Fix Lash in Black Fix or Studio
Brown…Go for the bold stroke, as they do In The Studio." I'm not really sure the ad copy makes any sense – they tie big lashes to Edie Sedgwick, which I can sort of understand, but how are they a "chic and urbane part of the modern artist's persona"? I think mostly MAC was grasping at straws and trying to make their most basic products (mascara and foundation) seem more hip and interesting. Nitpicking of their advertising aside, In the Studio reminds me of a very common theme depicted in painting: the artist at work in his/her atelier. The new exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art and School of the Institute of Art (both in Chicago) prove that the depiction of the artist's work space is still just as relevant as it was back in 1855, when Gustave Courbet painted his famous The Artist's Studio (L'Atelier du peintre): A Real Allegory of a Seven Year Phase in my Artistic and Moral Life :
(image from smarthistory.org)
The Musée D'Orsay has an excellent summary of the painting's significance. Looking at this I think MAC could have done a better job in advertisting (even the ad doesn't really show the artist/model at work, per se) and in crafting a more interesting collection, but nevertheless I like that they at least attempted to connect makeup to art.